2011 Undervalued Sleepers – Wide Receivers

Just look at last years’ breakout receivers like Brandon Lloyd, Steve Johnson, rookie Mike Williams as reasons to believe that you can find top twenty options at this position, if you do a little ground work to understand who is getting an opportunity to excel. While it’s nice to have the skill set of a Calvin Johnson, where you can still be a top producer no matter who’s around in the offense, many receivers need the right structure before they are able to produce.

Below I have selected those wide receivers I feel are undervalued sleepers coming into the 2011 fantasy football season, and I’ve included their up to date ADP values as taken from Mock Draft Central and Fantasy Football Calculator, for both PPR and standard redraft leagues. This way you can get an idea of where each runner is falling in recent mock drafts, and in understanding this you can start to set your game plan up for those options below, you want to target, and where you believe you can get them.

With the addition of Donovan McNabb and the loss of top receiver Sidney Rice, look to Percy Harvin as a breakout receiver this year that can be had as a early No.3 option at his position. While McNabb isn’t the player he once was, and will have to play behind one of the worst offensive lines in football, he can still make the teams top receiver a consistent threat.

It looks like Harvin has even found hope for his horrible migraine problems, as he’s been free of pain throughout the summer. This should be a nice breakout season for the third-year receiver.

Mario Manningham -

MDC

FFC (12 tm)

PPR League ADP Value

89.81

62.5

Standard Redraft ADP Value

89.53

63.7

With Kevin Boss and Steve Smith gone, Mario Manningham will be the full time No.2 receiver in the Giants offense. At the end of last season, Manningham thrived with three hundred-yard performances to close out the year. His success should carry over, as Manningham was a worthy fantasy option in 2009, before he lost his job to rookie Hakeem Nicks. Like Harvin, you can get Manningham as an early No.3 receiver but he should be a weekly starting option that can put up respectable numbers.

Lance Moore -

MDC

FFC (12 tm)

PPR League ADP Value

120.1

164.48

Standard Redraft ADP Value

124.3

180.96

I’m not a fan of Marques Colston and have no faith that he will last through the season as he went through his second microfracture knee surgery this off-season in his five-year career. With Colston missing time in camp, Lance Moore has reportedly been terrific and is likely to become the No.1 target in the passing game. At top forty receiver, Moore can be had at a cheep value, but he’s actually a start-worthy option as a No.3 receiver as early as week one against the Packers.

Update - Colston has recently returned to practice but don’t view him as a top 30 receiver on your fantasy cheat sheet this summer. Moore is a better value option to try for in this passing attack.

Lee Evans -

MDC

FFC (12 tm)

PPR League ADP Value

203.07

136.3

Standard Redraft ADP Value

203.95

123.3

I love Lee Evans heading over to the Ravens, as he finally has the structure around him that made him a fantasy success in his early years. With Anquan Boldin as a respectable possession receiver and No.1 option, Evans will find one on one options against second rate corner backs, and Joe Flacco has the arm and experience to pick out opportunities to strike down the field.

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Make sure you target Evans as a worthy depth option on your team and don’t be surprised if your starting him as a No.3 receiver by the end of September.

Julio Jones -

MDC

FFC (12 tm)

PPR League ADP Value

130.36

72.6

Standard Redraft ADP Value

136.55

70.3

Grab this guy in the later rounds of your draft and you’ll be happy you did as Julio Jones is ready to be the top impact rookie receiver of the 2011 season. The Falcons are ready to open up the offense, and fourth-year quarterback Matt Ryan should have no problem finding Jones, when the young receiver is in miss match one on one situations.

Jacoby Ford -

MDC

FFC (12 tm)

PPR League ADP Value

102.26

118.0

Standard Redraft ADP Value

94.16

108.2

I’m not sure if Jacoby Ford will be a start-worthy option this year, but he’s already the Raiders best receiver and proved to be a major weapon in their offense, towards the end of last year. Ford will be able to focus more on his receiving abilities thanks to the new rule change that basically makes kickoffs irrelevant.

A big time deep threat, hold Ford on your depth chart and see if he can develop into the true go to receiver for Jason Campbell this year.

Santana Moss -

MDC

FFC (12 tm)

PPR League ADP Value

72.98

86.1

Standard Redraft ADP Value

76.78

87.0

No one likes the Redskins right now, not even their fan base, but let’s face it, the team is going to play from behind, and that means opportunities in the passing game. Santana Moss actually had a good year in 2010, and he should find ways to help your squad this season. Because of the team, he plays for, Moss will slip in many drafts this summer, but make sure you nab him up as a depth option for your squad.